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Turkey Turkish Aerospace Industries
ANKA-S
A satellite-communications-equipped variant of Turkish Aerospace Industries' medium-altitude long-endurance ANKA drone, capable of armed reconnaissance and strike missions beyond line of sight. It has been exported alongside the Bayraktar TB2 as part of Turkey's growing drone industry.
In service since 2018 · 4 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
217
km/h
200
km range
9,000
m ceiling
200
kg payload
💲 ≈ $15,000,000, Publicly cited export system unit price estimate
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Türkiye export-licensed
SSB-administered; growing export programme, some Western sub-component dependencies.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 4 operators
In service since 2018. Status: active · ~60 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$38M – $53M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~20 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the ANKA-S can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 217 km/h |
|---|---|
| Cruise speed Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station. | 150 km/h |
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 200 km |
| Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon. | 9,000 m |
| Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage. | 24 h |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts. | 4 |
|---|---|
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 200 kg |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 8.6 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 17.3 m |
| Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew. | 1,000 kg |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 1,700 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 0 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | PD170 turbodiesel piston engine |
|---|---|
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 1 |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbodiesel, pusher propeller |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | Aselsan CATS electro-optical/infrared/laser designator turret, SAR/GMTI radar (optional) |
|---|---|
| Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement. | SATCOM, LOS datalink |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $15,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 60 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 4 |
Specifications compiled from public Turkish Aerospace Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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ANKA-S vs
CH-5 (Caihong-5) Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S has a maximum speed of 217 km/h.
What is the range of the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S has a maximum range of 200 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S can carry up to 200 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S weigh? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S has a combat weight of 1,700 kg.
How many crew does the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S require? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S use? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S is powered by the PD170 turbodiesel piston engine.
What is the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S used for? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S is a uav / drone typically used for isr, close air support.
How many countries operate the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S is operated by 4 countries.
How much does the Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S cost? +
The Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S has an approximate unit cost of 15,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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